Natural Leaders: Candice Lee

Vice Chancellor & Athletic Director, Vanderbilt University

When Candice Lee was younger, she wanted to be many different things — a teacher, a lawyer, a therapist. Candice arrived at Vanderbilt Peabody College as a first-year student in 1996, and she never left. Twenty-four years later, Candice was named as Vanderbilt’s vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and Vanderbilt’s first female athletic director. Not content to shatter just one glass ceiling, Candice is also the first Black woman to head an SEC athletics program. On leadership — which regularly demands hard things — and on growth, she says, “Courage is essential.”

In what could be considered a controversial take, Candice doesn’t agree with the concept of work-life balance, “But please don’t misunderstand!” She clarifies: “I strongly believe in self-care and taking time for what’s truly important. I believe in keeping things in perspective, but to think that we can commit ourselves to any greater purpose or passion and believe that all things will be balanced seems unrealistic.” Years ago, she overheard someone say “work-life integration” instead of “work-life balance,” and that shift resonated with her. She intentionally and consistently tries to support working parents because — with appropriate boundaries and a little creativity — work-life integration is achievable.

Of the next generation of female leaders, Candice hopes women won’t have to contend with the scrutiny that accompanies the glass ceiling — and the burden of its shattered pieces — because those limitations should no longer exist. Candice says, “As we fight to succeed, you can develop a chip on your shoulder from the constraints we currently navigate as women. I hope the next generation are accepted in all spaces and feel they belong.”